Straw hat



June 5, 1934. 1 CAVANAGH 1,961,739

STRAW HAT Filed April 19. 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l verz/Z011 J. CAVA NAG H .lum-Q 5, 1934.

sTRAw HAT Filed April 19, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w C. W

ATTORNEY Patented June 5, 1934 PATENT OFFICE STRAW HAT John Cavanagh, East Norwalk, Conn., assignor to Hat Corporation of America, East Norwalk, Conn., and New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application April 19, 1933, serial No. 666,803

6 Claims.

My present invention relates to improvements in mens straw hats such as are adapted to be made of rows of overlapping straw braid having projecting points, the braids being sewed together j to form the crown and brim, the brim being preferably formed. of two or more thicknesses of braided straw sewed and glued together.

An object of the invention is to design an attractive novelty hat which can be made of either 'flexible or stiff straw that will be cool and comfortable, so that when properly made and of a good quality of material, will form a better grade of hat adapted for the higher class of trade.

Anv important further feature of my invention `is to provide in the hat a special form of sweat band, adapted to be attached in a novel and attractive manner and in a way to form not only a comfortable hat to wear, but one that will readily be distinguishable from those now upon the market.

It has been more or less common practice to form brim portions of stiff hats of two or more layers of straw, the extra thickness usually being applied to the underside of the brim, and extend# ed across the full width of thebrim from the edge to the band portion of the hat. This obviously forms an added stiffness to the annular band portion of the crown, the result of which is that hats formed in that manner are not flexible,and do notreadily conform to the shape of the wearers head.

Numerous attempts have been made to overcome this `objection by working in a few layers of soft straw around the annular band portion of the' crown and brim, so as to produce a hat that will more readily conform to the shape of the head of the wearer.. This method, however, has proven more or less unsatisfactory since the hats do not hold their shape and the two dilerent kinds of straw fade out into diiierent shades. I have therefore sought to improve upon straw hats in this particular by providing a novel form oi sweat band thatis secured to the inner annular edge portion of the brim. p With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have shown embodiments of the invention in the accompanying drawings and these embodiments will'be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto,4 and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims. In the drawings Fig. 1 shows a bottom perspective view of my novel hat, showing the under and inner side thereof;

Fig. l2 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the hat shown in Fig. 1;

(Cl. I2--193) Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section through one side portion of the hat, illustrating a portion of the crown, the side, brim and associated parts;

Fig. 4 is a somewhat similar view including a modification in the form of an insert under the sweatband;

Fig. 5 shows a bottom plan View partially broken away, illustrating a modification showing the invention applied to a straw hat made in the old way wherein the toothed edges on both the top and bottom sides of the brim are disposed outward;

Fig. 6 shows a vertical cross sectional View of the hat structure shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 isl a detailed view of a sample of straw braid from which the hat shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive is made;

Fig. 8 is a further bottom plan View of a portion of a hat made from ilat foot sennet straw braid having one straight edge and one patterned edge, and illustrating the application of my invention thereto;

Fig. 9 is a detailed drawing of a small piece of the iiat foot sennet braid from which the hat shown in Fig. 8 is made; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary plan View of a piece of Milan straw braid also adapted to be used in the construction of a hat embodying my invention.

While I have illustrated my invention in the principal figures of the drawings as applied to a hat formed of relatively coarse braided straw, yet it will be obvious that lighter, heavier, or synthetic material may be employed, and the braids from which the hat is formed may also be made of any suitable width and thickness, but preferably those having a saw-toothed or other patterned edge, such for instance as the straw braids 9a and 9b shown in Figs. 7 and 9, and the Milan braid, 9c shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings.

The illustrations of the invention have been featured in connection with a hat constructed in accordance with Patent No, 1,219,111 wherein the crown 10 is made in the old way from the button a to the head-size or hat band 17, the respective windings overlapping and stitched together so that the exposed edge of the straw braid, of which the crown is formed, is pointed outward and downwardly to the band portion 17. In this connection it will also be observed from the said patent, and Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings of this application, that the brim is not made as a continual application and stitching of the braid, from which the crown is made, but is lformed in part by the application and stitching of the braids forming the upper layer 11 of the brim in a reverse direction so that the exposed edges of the braids forming the top layer of the brim are disposed inward, rather than outward.

After the hat crown and top layer 11 of the brim are formed, as above suggested, then a separate lower brim portion 12 is made up of straw braid to form an annular assemblage of braid whose outer dimensions are the same as that of th-e upper portion of the brim previously stitched together, but slightly narrower than that of the upper layer of the brim. This separately formed lower brim portion 12 is then secured against the underside of the brim portion 11. A single strip of straw braid 16, or more if preferred, is then placed between and stitched to the outer edge portion of the two brim members, so as to unite the several pieces to form the complete brim. Then by means of additional stitching, stiffening and pressing, the hat is formed into desired shape.

My preferred construction, see Figs. l to 4, inclusive, comprises a hat, the crown of which, including its annular sides, is made up of a single layer of braided straw 9 stitched together, and a brim that is formed of two layers of straw braid, the top layer 11 of which extends outward at a right angle from the side of the base of the crown. As before stated, the width of the lower layer 12 of the brim is narrower than that of the upper layer 11, whereby when the two brim portions are secured together, the inner edge of the lower layer terminates outward from and in spaced relation to the band portion 17 of the hat. This obviously leaves but a single thickness of straw braid adjacent to the side crown and whereby the hat is formed in a way to insure an annular flexible head engaging portion 1'? adjacent to the lower sides of the crown, and at the same time to provide a thicker and stiffer brim.

The sweat band 13 is formed of a good quality of leather and includes an outwardly disposed flange portion 14 so that the sweat band, as a whole, not only covers the inner lower annular surface of the crown portion of the hat, but extends over the inner annular head engaging portion and out into the brim a limited distance, thereby covering the annular inner under edge surface of the top layer of straw braid. The annular edge of this flanged portion of the sweat band 13 extends in under the inner edge portion of thelower layer 12 of straw braid and is secured between it and the top layer, as by means of stitching. In order to insure desired ventilation and additional flexibility, I provide a series of holes 15 through the flange portion of the sweat band.

The completed hat therefore, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, has its inner marginal edge portion of the underside of the brim formed of the flanged portion of the leather sweat band, and in a way so that the toothed edge of the under layer of the straw braid will form an attractive nish for the iianging of the sweat band. This added quantity of leather at a point where the hat rests upon the head, together with the single thickness of straw 11 laying back of it, forms a very desirable and comfortable hat to wear. If desired, this conforming feature may be accentuated by the use of an annular strip of felt, straw, oil silk or any other suitable sweat-proof material which will prevent perspiration from striking through the band portion of the hat, and which can be stitched to the inner lower crown portion 17 of the hat, as shown at 162L in Fig. 4, or in between the underside of the brim and the sweat band of the hat as shown at 16b in Fig. 6.

This description thus far obviously applies to the construction of the patented hat referred to, as well as the disclosures made herein of the preferred form of my present invention, and applies to hats made of different kinds of braid. I do not, however, wish to confine myself in the application of my invention to hats made in this particular way, for it can be applied to straw hats made in the old way, with the toothed edges of the braid disposed outward, see Figs. 5 and 6, and wherein the hat is started from the button a, the straw braid 9 being lapped and fed on the top side throughout the entire process of sewing to the edge of the brim, so that the crown 10 and top brim portion 11a are made in one continuous operation, and if desired, a lower brim portion 12F;L made separately and attached to the underside of the upper brim.

A preferred method of applying my invention to this cheaper grade of hat would be to place the sweat band 13 within the annular band portion 17 of the hat with the flange 14 of the band disposed out over the undersurface of the brim, which can be made of either one or two thicknesses, and then to cover the raw edge of the flanged portion 14 with a single strip 12b of straw braid, as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 8 of the drawings, and secure the braid, band and brim portion of the hat together with one or more rows of stitching 18, and in addition to include, if desired, any preferred kind of brim stiffening material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A straw hat including crown and brim portions formed of braided straw sewed together, an annular sweat band within the crown of the hat and including an outwardly disposed annular flange covering a portion of the under inner face portion of the brim and whose outer edge is enclosed by braided straw.

2. A straw hat including a crown and a brim portion formed of braided straw sewed together, the brim including a layer of braided straw and one or more braids applied to the underside of said layer and having an inner marginal patterned edge in spaced relation to the head engaging zone, a sweat band within the crown and including an outwardly disposed annular perforated flange whose edge extends above said marginal patterned edge and is secured against the upper layer.

3. A straw hat comprising a crown and brim portion formed of braided straw secured together and including an upper and lower layer of braided straw, the exposed edges of both said layers being directed inward toward the crown, the lower layer being narrower than the upper layer, with its inner marginal edge in spaced relation to the head engaging zone, a sweat band including an outwardly disposed annular flange whose edge is secured above the inner annular edge of said lower layer of braided straw and between it and the upper layer.

4. A straw hat including crown and brim portions formed of braided straw sewed together, the brim comprising an upper and lower layer of straw braid secured together, the lower layer being narrower than the upper layer with its inner marginal edge in spaced relation to the head engaging zone, a sweat band including an outwardly disposed annular flange whose edge is secured between the inner annular edge of the lower layer of straw braid and the upper layer and covering the under inner annular face of the upper layer of the brim adjacent the annular head contacting zone forming a flexible sweat band and hat.

5. A straw hat including crown and brim portions formed of braided straw forming a patterned edge and sewed together in a circular manner, the brim comprising two layers of straw braid secured together, the upper layer being formed as a continuation of the crown portion, the lower layer being` narrower than the upper layer with its inner marginal edge in spaced relation to the head engaging zone, a sweat band including an outwardly disposed annular flange whose edge is secured above the inner annular edge of the lower layer of straw braid and covering the under annular edge of the brim adjacent the annular head contacting zone, forming a exible sweat band and hat.

6. A straw hat including crown and brim portions, an annular sweat band within the crown of the hat including an outwardly disposed an-r 

